Episode 78.
Baphomet.
A transcendent being bearing the epithet, the Goat of Sabbat.
The moment I confirmed it was him, I couldn't help but shout.
"Everyone, turn around!"
I yelled at the party.
If you make eye contact with him, if you reveal hostility, there is no turning back.
But it was a sudden order.
If I hadn't been someone who had earned their trust by now, I wouldn't have been able to do anything.
Thankfully.
Swish.
The moment the words left my mouth, they all turned their backs to Baphomet.
Good.
With this, I've avoided the worst-case scenario.
But I can't let my guard down.
Even if the worst is avoided.
"Meeeeh—"
Because there are still many mountains left to cross.
Baphomet's voice still sounds like the cry of a goat.
What does that mean?
It means I don't yet have the qualifications to speak with him.
'Maybe he has no intention of talking at all.'
He's such a capricious being that even I dare not fathom what he's thinking.
If I'm unlucky.
'I could just die right here.'
My palms are drenched in sweat.
Since my regression, the times I've been this nervous are few enough to count on one hand.
If I had to name the most nerve-wracking moment, it was when I captured Qin Shi Huang and Xu Fu.
Even then, I'd had some measure of leeway, but now there is none at all.
How should I put it?
It feels like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff.
A cliff where one misstep means falling straight down.
That was how much of a being Baphomet was—one that the current me, and humanity, could hardly handle.
As proof.
Gooooooh!
My body kept shrinking from the overwhelming momentum he exuded.
Truly fearsome, fearsome.
Even the me who had endured the Apocalypse for eighteen years was overwhelmed by that momentum.
Let alone now, in a state incomparably weaker than then; it was only natural that my body would stiffen.
But I pretended to be calm.
I pretended to calmly accept all that momentum, forcefully letting it wash over me.
I had no choice.
If I showed any sign of tension here, any hostility, the skull staff in his hand would split my crown in two.
As calmly as possible.
And as respectfully as possible.
"I greet the Goat of Sabbat."
I spoke in the divine language known only to a select few.
Of course, it wasn't me who knew it.
The Sage—the one who had mastered all things in the world—his knowledge enabled me to speak the divine language.
"...."
Baphomet's black eyes turn toward me.
The skull staff that looked ready to split my head open at any moment did not move.
A meaningful change brought about by the divine language.
If I had babbled in a human language he couldn't understand instead of the divine language, this change would not have occurred.
But this wasn't the end.
Thud!
I fell to my knees.
Those called divinities value faith, even if they pretend otherwise.
Therefore, I had to show him the utmost courtesy and respect.
I bowed my head deeply and assumed a pious posture, raising both hands to the sky.
I was imitating Julius's actions from my memories before the regression.
'The current me—we cannot face him.'
I had gathered the best talent I could, but I couldn't face Baphomet.
No, even if I could face him, I shouldn't.
To be precise, I couldn't face him right now.
Why?
He is not a demon.
He is certainly not a monster.
He is a Transcendent, and among them, one approaching divinity.
Needlessly provoking a neutral being and making more enemies is the worst move in our current situation.
Even if I were to confront him, it would have to be after that matter was settled.
That is why I had no choice but to humor him as much as possible right now.
"...."
But there was no response.
'Could it be?'
A failure?
This isn't the War of Gods and Demons; is the Baphomet who appeared here somehow different?
I'd been through countless crises, but this was the first time I'd felt such mortal dread that my spine was drenched in cold sweat.
And after a brief moment that felt like an eternity.
"Meh—"
The cry of a goat rang out.
'Damn it!'
He is not conveying his will.
That means this ritual has failed....
"A human who uses the divine tongue."
...It was unexpected.
He began to convey his will through the divine language.
"You who speak my epithet. Is conversation possible?"
It worked.
Baphomet requested a conversation with me.
'We're not too late!'
It was truly a relief.
If the party had been even a moment late in turning their backs.
If anyone had perceived Baphomet as a monster, the situation would have spiraled beyond control.
Because he possessed the conviction to annihilate all beings who perceived him as a monster.
'It's the inferiority complex of one who fell from divinity to demonhood.'
In the past, he had been a clear divinity.
But due to other divinities, and the distorted history passed down to later generations, he fell and became a demon.
The form visible now was also created by adding the power of 'language' to a divinity that originally possessed no fixed form.
To avoid becoming hostile with him, words and actions that did not fall for his outward appearance were necessary.
'Have we at least overcome the crisis?'
Through conversation with Baphomet, I've avoided the worst-case scenario.
But I still can't help but remain cautious.
Because if I slip up even slightly, he could snap my neck at any moment using that immense strength and authority.
People often misunderstand.
They think that beings called gods, or divinities, are benevolent.
But that is merely humanity's flawed common sense.
They are thoroughly neutral—neither good nor evil.
Is killing humans bad? Does that make one an evil god?
Bullshit.
Just as we lightly crush bugs underfoot, they regard humans as insects.
Troublesome, lowly beings they can trample to death at any moment.
That is why caution is needed when dealing with divinities.
One must avoid offending their sensibilities or acting contrary to their values as much as possible.
"...."
I slowly raised my head.
Straight ahead, the jet-black pupils of the goat fixed their gaze on me.
A gaze of insight that seemed to peer into my very depths.
"Interesting."
Baphomet smiled.
"I felt something was off, but to think you had twisted the laws."
The meaning of those words is obvious.
'He knows I regressed.'
He seems to have immediately grasped that I had twisted the laws through the Stone of Regression.
As expected of a divinity.
There is no escaping those eyes that see through all of creation.
"...."
I was momentarily flustered and fell silent.
"It does not matter. No, should I say I have no interest? What purpose you twisted the laws for, and what you intend to do from here on—those are not my concerns."
"...Yes."
"The reason you came here is surely to seal the gate over there."
"That is correct."
Correct.
Among the purposes for coming here was sealing the Hell Gate opened deep within the Catacombs.
Of course, that could change slightly, and it wasn't the sole purpose, but it wasn't a lie.
"Then that is well. Human."
"Yes."
"I was summoned here to maintain the balance of this world."
A summoning for balance.
That statement isn't entirely wrong.
But.
'It isn't entirely true, either.'
Just as I deceived him, Baphomet was also not telling me the whole truth.
Of course, that doesn't mean the claim of being summoned for balance is a blatant lie.
Due to the second omen progressing far too quickly, the Hell Gate must have opened considerably, and some powerful being must have emerged from within.
And Baphomet was dispatched to prevent the collapse of this balance.
He appeared to dilute the power of that powerful being, and is now attempting to carry out the mission given to him.
Through the divine language, and through me, who does not perceive him as a monster.
"The being that squeezed through the Hell Gate is far too powerful for the current you to handle. Therefore, aid me."
"How may I help?"
I have other objectives, but first, I must reach the Hell Gate.
Of course, that won't be easy either.
Various demons that escaped the Hell Gate will have established themselves inside the Catacombs.
Therefore, cooperation is necessary for now.
If I could gain the help of a very powerful divinity named Baphomet—though he likely cannot exert his full power yet—approaching the Hell Gate would be much easier.
"It is simple."
I don't believe it.
From my twenty years of experiencing the Apocalypse, what I've learned is that nothing called 'simple' is ever simple.
Think about it.
Could something a powerful divinity like Baphomet calls 'simple' truly be simple for us humans?
'Not a chance.'
It will surely be a trial too difficult for the current me or us to handle.
That is why I'm not relieved.
Rather, I should be worried about the difficulty of this mission.
And as I had expected.
"I must complete the incantation to seal the Hell Gate. That incantation requires considerable time and concentration. However, numerous demons who have escaped the Hell Gate already exist here."
I have a rough idea where this is going.
"Human, what you and your companions must do is protect me from those demons. Then, before the Great Demon emerges, we will be able to seal the Hell Gate."
It had definitely changed.
According to what I know, the information passed down by the Sage, the clear condition for the Catacombs was not destroying the Hell Gate, but sealing it.
Finding the Holy Relic hidden somewhere in this underground labyrinth and throwing it at the Hell Gate to maintain a temporary seal.
A divinity called Baphomet wasn't even part of the original plan.
But all of that has changed.
'Did the second omen beginning so quickly increase the number of missing people, thereby shortening the time until the Hell Gate opened?'
I had heard the news before coming here.
The fact that quite a lot of people had already gone missing.
The missing must have become blood sacrifices to open the Hell Gate, causing a situation different from before the regression.
The conditions to summon a Great Demon had been met, and Baphomet was dispatched to restore the destroyed balance.
This mission is to deal with the demons drawn to his power and approaching while he completes the incantation to close the Hell Gate.
"So, human. What is your answer?"
Baphomet's black eyes, filled with the abyss, flash.
"Of course... I shall do it. If a Great Demon appears, it is obvious that great chaos will befall this world."
"Truly wise. Very well, human. The scale of the Hell Gate that appeared here is greater than expected. If we fail to stop it, a terrible calamity will descend upon this world."
To be honest, I can't yet be sure who will emerge from there.
'If Baphomet is making this much fuss, it's probably worth looking forward to.'
The more powerful the being that emerges, the more beneficial it is for me.
"I shall gladly accept this sacred mission."
And I accepted the proposal, hiding my true intentions.
Of course, I didn't forget to add a spoonful of flattery, praising it as a sacred mission.
Divinities can be surprisingly vain, so they love it when you suck up to them like this.
"Splendid!"
The effect was... tremendous.
He seemed to like the 'sacred mission' part more than the acceptance itself, and the smile on his lips deepened even further.
But he doesn't know.
That the deeper his smile grows, the more the corners of my mouth rise as well.